Hospital bed and lifting and turning device



Feb. 7, 1967 J. F. HARRIS HOSPITAL BED AND LIFTING AND TURNING DEVICE Filed Jan. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l llllLllln...

muummmum mmmm'm INVENTOR Joe E Harris ATTORNEY Feb. 7, 1967 J, H R s 3,302,219

HOSPITAL BED AND LIFTING AND TURNING DEVICE Filed Jan. 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 40 42 42 Joe E Harris ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,302,219 HOSPITAL BED AND LIFTING AND TURNING DEVICE Joe F. Harris, 125 S. 3rd St, St. Albion, Ill. 62806 Filed Jan. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 520,704 6 Claims. c1. 85)

The present invention relates to a hospital bed and more particularly to a device for enabling the patient in the bed to be turned from one side to the other.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a I simple and economical structure for turning a helpless bed patient disposed in a bed from one side to the other side.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable device that can be utilized with existing hospital beds, or other types of beds, now in use for enabling a helpless patient to be turned over in the bed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide endless sprocket chain means operatively connected to a patient support means so that the patient supporting means can be Wound or coiled upon an elongated member while being unwound from another elongated member so that a patient disposed on the supporting means will be turned from one side to the other.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a self supporting structure for turning a helpless patient disposed upon the structure from one side to another, and which structure is provided with a body supporting section which may be disposed on any type of existing bed for use with the bed without in any way causing the bed structure to be changed in order to utilize the device of the present invention.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device for lifting the patient from a bed in a vertical direction, and turning a helpless patient from one side to the other, after which the device if desired may be lowered in a vertically downward direction.

Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the bed and turning device shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the device embodying the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the hospital bed and lifting and turning device embodied in the present invention.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral generally designates a bed, such as a hospital bed or any other type of bed, having a head or headboard 12 and a bottom or bottomboard 14 with the usual legs 16 extending from the head and the bottom boards.

The bed is provided with a conventional horizontal frame 18 secured by any suitable means to the head and bottom board and adapted to receive a mattress 20 thereon.

The lifting and turning device of the present invention is generally designated as 22 and is provided with four (4) vertical support members 24 and 26, with the vertical support members 24 being disposed adjacent the head 12 of the bed and the vertical support members 26 being disposed adjacent the foot 14 of the bed. The vertical support members 24 and 26 are hollow and are adapted to receive the lower end of externally threaded members 28. The vertical members 24 and 26 are suitably connected together so as to form an integral structure by side braces 30 and transverse braces 32 that may be detachably connected to the vertical members if desired.

Disposed on top of each vertical member 24 and 26 is an internally threaded sprocket member 34 suitably secured by any well known means to the members 24 and 26. The sprockets 34 are disposed in bearings so that they can be turned relative to the stationary supports 24 and 26. The sprockets 34 are further adapted to threadably engage the vertical threaded members 28 so that when the sprockets are rotated in one direction they will 1 cause the vertical externally threaded members 28 to feed upwardly so as to be raised out of the upper end of the vertical members 24 and 26. The members 28 when turned in the opposite direction will cause the threaded members 28 to feed downwardly in the members 24 and 26 to lower the patient as hereinafter described.

The drive sprockets 34 are connected together by an endless sprocket chain 36 extending around the members 24 and 26 and carried by the sprockets. An electric motor may be secured to one of the vertical members 24 and 26 and providing with a gear meshing with one of the sprockets 34 and may be utilized to drive or rotate the sprockets 34 and the endless sprocket chain 36 if desired.

The members 28 and 26 are disposed so as to be positioned outwardly of the mattress 20 as best seen in FIG- URE 2. The device 22 may be secured to the bed by clamp members 38 of any well known and suitable type.

The upper ends of the threaded members 28 are provided with clamp members 40 detachably connected thereto and of any suitable configuration so as to provide outwardly extending portions 42 thereon through which extends two elongated rods 44 suitably journaled through the portions 42 of the clamp members 40. The opposite ends of the elongated rods 44 extend beyond the members 28 and the vertical members 24 and 26. Adjacent the bottom end 14 of the bed the rods 44 have secured thereto sprocket wheels 46. The sprocket wheels 46 carry a sprocket drive chain 48 and one of the elongated rods 44 is provided with a hand rail for turning the respective rod so as to rotate the two sprocket wheels 48. When the hand wheel 50 is turned in one direction it will cause the elongated rods to move in the second direction, and will cause a fabric, for example of canvas secured adjacent its opposite ends to the rods 44 to roll up on one rod 44 while it is unwound or uncoiled from the other rod 44. This will cause a patient lying on the canvas support to be turned from one side to another. When it is desired to turn the patient in the opposite direction it is only necessary to rotate the hand wheel 52 in the opposite direction so as to cause the canvas to be uncoiled from one elongated rod and to be coiled on the opposite elongated rod.

If desired instead of the use of a hand wheel, an electric motor may be utilized to turn the sprocket wheels 46.

In operation, the device 22 of the present invention may be removed from the storage and erected into the position shown in FIGURE 1 with the canvas 52 being disposed adjacent the upper side of the mattress 20 and with the vertical posts 24 and 26 and 28 disposed adjacent the respective four corners of the bed. Thereafter a patient may be positioned on the canvas 52 and the sprocket chain 36 operated or manipulated so that the canvas 52 is slack and the patient is supported by the mattress 20.

When it is desired to turn a patient from one side to another, the sprocket drive chain 36 is operated o that it will lift or move the threaded members 28 upwardly so as to lift the canvas 52 in spaced relationship with the top of the mattress 20. Thereafter the sprocket chain 48 is operated so that the canvas is coiled upon one or the other elongated rods 44, as desired so as to turn over the helpless patient in the direction desired. Thereafter the patient may be lowered by operating the sprocket drive chain 36 in the opposite direction, from its first movement, so as to again support the patient by the mattress 20.

From the foregoing detailed description it is apparent that the present invention provides a novel and useful and simple device that can be utilized to both lift a patient from the usual mattress disposed on a bed, and to turn a helpless patient from one side to another without any physical effort.

It is further apparent that the present invention provides a portable device that can be readily erected and dismantled and placed in storage if desired.

The present invention further provides a useful lifting and turning device that can be utilized with present hos pital beds and like and which requires no adaption whatsoever or changing of the configuration or construction of the bed with which it is used.

Inasmuch as various changes may be made in the form, location and relative arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is not meant to limit the foregoing invention, except by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable lifting and turning device for use with a hospital \bed and the like comprising spaced vertical members including a lower hollow member and a threaded upper member extending into said hollow member, spaced elongated rods extending between said vertical members and mounted on the upper ends thereof, a flexible cover member having its opposite edges connected to said spaced elongated rods, a sprocket wheel secured to each elongated rod and an endless sprocket chain carried by said wheels for turning said rods in the same direction to wind said cover member on one of said elongated rods while unwinding it from another of said rods, a bearing on each hollow member, a sprocket wheel with an internal thread on each hollow member supported by said bearing and each threaded upper member engaging its respective internally threaded sprocket wheel, whereby said'flexible cover member may be raised and lowered.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein a bed is provided and said vertical members are connected by clamp members to said bed.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein there are four spaced vertical members and an endless sprocket chain is mounted around all of the threaded sprocket wheels.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein there are two elongated rods horizontally disposed.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein a bed is provided and said vertical members are disposed adjacent the four corners of the bed.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said internally threaded sprocket wheels are horizontal.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 949,655 2/1910 May 563 2,655,667 10/1953 Burkert 5 61 2,681,454 6/1954 Tallman 5 63 2,772,079 12/1956 Flatley 563 x 3,210,778 10/1965 Robinson 5 61 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.-

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE LIFTING AND TURNING DEVICE FOR USE WITH A HOSPITAL BED AND THE LIKE COMPRISING SPACED VERTICAL MEMBERS INCLUDING A LOWER HOLLOW MEMBER AND A THREADED UPPER MEMBER EXTENDING INTO SAID HOLLOW MEMBER, SPACED ELONGATED RODS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID VERTICAL MEMBERS AND MOUNTED ON THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF, A FLEXIBLE COVER MEMBER HAVING ITS OPPOSITE EDGES CONNECTED TO SAID SPACED ELONGATED RODS, A SPROCKET WHEEL SECURED TO EACH ELONGATED ROD AND AN ENDLESS SPROCKET CHAIN CARRIED BY SAID WHEELS FOR TURNING SAID RODS IN THE SAME DIRECTION TO WIND SAID COVER MEMBER ON ONE OF SAID ELONGATED RODS WHILE UNWINDING IT FROM ANOTHER OF SAID RODS, A BEARING ON EACH HOLLOW MEMBER, A SPROCKET WHEEL WITH AN INTERNAL THREAD ON EACH HOLLOW MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID BEARING AND EACH THREADED UPPER MEMBER ENGAGING ITS RESPECTIVE INTERNALLY THREADED SPROCKET WHEEL, WHEREBY SAID FLEXIBLE COVER MEMBER MAY BE RAISED AND LOWERED. 